Sleeping Kari
by saruwatarikoumiko
Summary: [Takari][Fairytale Series] My very first mainly Takari fic! Princess Hikari is going to die at a young age. What is a pretty girl to do? The second tale in the fairytale series. Please enjoy, and of course, R&R!
1. A Little Princess

Hello! Everyone! Hahah I'm in the middle of midterms in school, but I kinda got bored of studying, so I felt like putting this up! Enjoy! OH! BTW, Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, or sleeping beauty. Same story line, but different ways of approaching it.

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**Sleeping Kari**

**Chapter 1: A Litte Princess**

**By: Koumiko

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Once upon a time, in the Realm of the Crests, there was a Kingdom called the Celestial Kingdom. The Kingdom was ruled justly and peacefully by a King and Queen who longed for a child. One day, their wish came true and a princess was born. They named her Hikari Yagami. On her Christening celebration, the whole Kingdom was invited to view the princess and give her gifts. Three good fairies were also invited, who bestowed the Princess with their gifts.

"I give the princess the gift of beauty of mind and body, to be fit to rule a kingdom, in the most sincere of ways." The first fairy, Mimi Tachikawa spoke, waving her green wand over the pink cradle. An illusion of a green raindrop, the symbol of sincerity, floated over the cradle, spinning slowly. It then lowered into the cradle, Hikari's small hands reaching for it. The next fairy then stepped forward, her red wand already held out.

"I give her the gift of song and grace, with the power to mend wounded souls, and the courage to love." This fairy was called Sora Takenouchi. She crept closer to the cradle, and held Hikari's hand, smiling, as she pointed her wand at the little princess. Just as Mimi's gift, another illusion, this time of a red heart, floated towards the child, disappearing as it was touched by Hikari's hands into her very soul.

There was another fairy other than the three fairies. This fairy, the fourth, was not invited to the Christening since she was known to have a temper and gave evil gifts. Unfortunately, that fourth fairy discovered of the Christening from gossip, and grew angry with the King and Queen for not receiving an invite. In a flash of lightning that struck near the cradle, the evil fairy appeared, in a rage. She arrived in her black cloak swirling around her. Her face was mostly covered except for her eyes, which was looking at Hikari slyly.

"Why hello, little one." The fairy said. "I'm your auntie Jun Motomiya. And I also have a gift for you. Fancy that – I do not get invited, but I still adore you so much that I still would give you a cur – I mean, present." She looked at the King and Queen, who watched her carefully. The Queen was near the cradle, ready to protect the child if the fairy did anything.

"Lady Jun Motomiya, I had no idea of your existence. Please forgive us for not inviting you. Please... have a seat and enjoy the party as well as everyone else." The King spoke, trying to sound calm and in control.

"It's too late for that, _daddy_." Jun spat, facing the cradle once again. She raised her hand from under her cloak and it revealed a black wand with a skull for a tip. The guests gasped. The eyes of the skull glowed an eerie green. "This princess may grow into a fine young lady with beauty and talent and grace, but to make up for her parents' mistake, she will prick her finger on the thorn of a red rose on her sixteenth birthday, and die!" Green smoke swirled around the cradle and Hikari started to cry.

"NO!" The Queen yelled as she grabbed her daughter and cradled her in her arms protectively. Jun laughed wildly, and in the green smoke, she vanished. The guests had become silent and only the Queen's sobs could be heard echoing in the hall. They all had forgotten about the third fairy. She was a child fairy still, and she looked at the Queen with her violet eyes.

"Your highness, I still haven't given my gift." She spoke quietly, consoling the Queen. "My name is Miyako Inoue, and although I cannot undo my senior's spell, I can make it less terrible." She cleared her throat. The Queen looked at her expectantly. "I give her this: When the princess pricks her finger on the thorn, instead of death she will sleep and wait as long as forever until her true love's first kiss." The fairy touched her blue wand on the princess's forehead and a white star glowed for a moment, then vanished.

The whole celebration sighed with relief at this, but still, the King and Queen commanded that every rose be destroyed. Any who possessed a rose, especially a red one, would be punished. Amidst the bustle of the rose exodus in the Kingdom, the King and Queen gave their only child and daughter to the fairies, for her to grow away from the Kingdom and hopefully hide her from Jun. Unfortunately, the fairies knew that there was no way to stop a fairy's curse. They could only wait until that time.

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Well, its still kind of similar to the actual Sleeping Beauty. But I hope to change it on the next chapter! See you then!

xoxo , Koumiko


	2. First Impressions

WoOoHOOOoo! I finaly am able to update this fic! (That's because I found this chapter quite fun to write lol) Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Sleeping Beauty.

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**Sleeping Kari**

**Chapter 2: First Impressions**

**By: Koumiko

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15 years and 364 days later...

The 3 fairies took Princess Hikari and decided to rear her with no magic. They hid their magic wands and made their fairy wings invisible so they looked like normal, middle aged humans. It was the day before the Princess' birthday, and the fairies were all in preparation for Hikari's trip back to the palace, where she would celebrate her 16th birthday.

Princess Hikari had grown into a beautiful, graceful and kind young woman. She had fullfilled all the gifts that Mimi and Sora and bestowed on her at her Christening. Her long, brown hair was tied back with a pink bow in a low ponytail, revealing her reddish-brown, soulful eyes. She was outside in a forest clearing, where many colorful wildflowers grew. While she smelled and picked the flowers, she sang, song birds chirping along as they flew beside her. They were her only friends. Mimi, Sora and Miyako were also her friends, but they were more motherly. They cared more for her personal needs than how she felt in her heart. She could only open up to her bird friends, who seemed to understand her.

"You know, I wonder how love feels like." Hikari said, holding our her finger, one of the songbirds landing on her finger. The other landed on her shoulder. They chirped. "Miyako always tells me stories of Princesses meeting their Prince. But I'm no Princess. I'm just ordinary Kari. No one would love me."

Princess Hikari did not know about her royal blood, of her three guardians who are actually fairies, and of men. She only knew of them through stories told to her by Miyako.

"I wonder how men even look like. Or sound like," Kari continued. "Or dress like." She chuckled. She slowly lowered herself and lay down on the flower patch, staring up at the sky with her bright eyes. The songbirds flew and perched on her arms which were spread wide. "If I met one, I'm quite sure I wouldn't fall in _love_. I mean, you can't just decide you want to marry someone within a few seconds of meeting him. I've always wondered why Princesses always fall for the Prince Charming and marry them right away. Are they that charming?" The birds seemed to shrug.

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Not too far away, a Prince called Takeru was riding on his white stallion through the forest. He felt the castle was too suffocating and decided to get some fresh air with his horse. His father was imposing on him that he should marry a Princess soon. For any young Prince that would be forced to marry in an arranged marriage, he acted like any normal person. Angry, confused, and unsure. He rode on his horse thinking.

He reached the clearing and saw a body lying in the middle of the flower patch. At first he thought it was a corpse. As he approached it, he heard voices coming from it. Dismounting from his horse, he ran to a boulder and hid, trying to see who this person was.

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Kari heard a horse's neigh. She stopped talking to the songbirds and lifted her head, just enough to see over the flowers. A white stallion was tied to a tree, grazing. She scanned the area near the horse to see who the owner was. No one was there. Kari decided to get up and walked to a nearby lake, the songbirds following her.

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Prince Takeru had never seen that girl before. He decided to follow her and introduce himself. He reached the lake, and found another boulder to hide behind. He heard the girl singing to herself on the other side of the boulder, humming a tune.

"Okay, please make sure there's no one watching," He heard her say. He tried to sneak a peek to see who she was talking with. Before he could see anything, two angry white birds started pecking at him and he yelled out in pain.

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There was a disturbance behind Kari, who was getting ready to take a bath. She was about to take her clothing off but heard the song birds chirping angrily and shouts from someone behind the rock. She turned around and saw a person being attacked by the birds. She screamed.

"PEEPER!!!!!!!!!!!" She luckily still had her clothes on, and she ran around the boulder that concealed her. She picked up a flat stone from the lakeshore and threw it as hard as she could at the pervert.

"OW! Please stop that!"

Kari stopped, and so did the songbirds, seeing that Kari calmed down. The pervert had his arms covering his blonde head protectively. Blood covered his shirt where the birds had pecked at him. He lifted his head, his blue eyes sparkling, near tears.

"Please tell your birds to stop." He whispered. Kari ran up to him and pulled down his arms. Her instinct was to say "So this is what a man looks like." But she held her tongue in politeness.

"Oh my goodness! I'm sorry!" She looked at his face, seeing how much damage was done by the songbirds. She led him towards the lake. "Please, let me clean up your wounds. It's all my fault. Sit here." She helped him sit next to the water, and she rolled up his shirt sleeves and splashed them with the cool, crystal clear water. Kari was now about to cry too.

"Just to clear my name, I didn't peep." Takeru said, head bowed as he let Kari wash his arm with her gentle, delicate hands. She was shaking slightly. "I didn't see anything. Except stars after your birds attacked me." Kari still didn't smile after his attempted humor. She was so guilty. Takeru took his arm from her hands and wiped a tear that trickled down her rosy cheek.

"Aw, don't cry." He said, turning her head to face him. "You should smile. That was funny." He saw her brown eyes for the first time, but only for a split second before Kari quickly shifted her eyes back to his wounds.

"I'm sorry," Kari didn't know how to address this stranger. _Why is he so... so... _charming

"I'm Prince Takeru. Call me TK." He said. Kari gasped. _A Prince? No way. What were the chances?_ Kari stopped for a moment.

_Nope. I have not fallen in love with him. I guess it takes a Princess to do that._

Kari finished washing his wounds and tore enough of her dress to make bandages for every single one of the peck wounds.

"Ah, I feel much better now, Thank you, -- Miss, uh.." TK didn't know what her name was.

"My name is Kari." Kari said, bowing her head politely.

"Please, don't bow. We're not in a palace. Can we be friends?" TK said, holding out his hand.

"Well -- I've never been friends with a boy or Prince before. How do I become your friend?" TK laughed at Kari's innocence.

"Just be yourself. Here, lets start by naming your songbirds." TK said, taking her hand and leading her toward the two birds that were flying and singing nearby at the flower field. They lay down on the grass, watching the birds fly around them. "We'll make them a symbol of our friendship."

"What do you want to name them?" Kari asked.

"Well, how about Strike and Blitz?" Kari finally laughed.

"You're just calling them that because they attacked you. I like Melody and Aria."

"Pfft."

"What?"

"Nothing. Just name them that then. They are your birds, so you should get to choose."

"Are you sure, TK?"

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"Ask me again and they will be Strike and Blitz."

"TK!"

"Just Kidding!" They laughed.

"I must get going now, Princess Kari." TK stood up, holding his hand out to Kari.

"Princess?" Kari wondered.

"Well, if you get to call me TK so that we're equal from your view, I want to call you Princess so that we're equal from my view." He explained. "You look like a Princess to me." Kari took his hand and stood, blushing.

"Until next time, Princess." TK bowed, and still holding Kari's hand, he kissed it, then looked at Kari, smiling. Kari bowed, embarrassed. With that, TK mounted his horse and rode out into the forest to his Kingdom.

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"Father!" Takeru burst through the doors of their palace in the Kingdom of Dreams.

"What is it, Crown Prince?" Takeru's father sat up taller on his chair in surprise from Takeru's sudden entrance.

"I know who I want to marry." Takeru bowed down on one knee before the King.

"Who is it, my son?" The King spoke, lifting his son with jewel studded rings on his fingers.

"A girl named Princess Kari."

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Hehehhe. Please Review!

xoxo Koumiko


	3. Anything for Her

Spring break is here, so I can probably update quite often! Which is good, because I can finally sleep at night without having to worry about what's going to happen to TK and Kari in this fic! Nothing to tell you here, so enjoy the fic!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, and never will probably. But I promise, if I ever (by some stroke of luck), then I will bring back the old Digidestined and digimon! WOOT! Go Takari and Patagato!**

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**Sleeping Kari**

**Chapter 3: Anything for Her**

**By: Koumiko**

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A dark shadow was watching a magical fountain. It showed Prince Takeru and Princess Hikari speaking with each other happily. The shadow was actually a man, who was wearing a dark cloak and a hood. 

_"Nothing. Just name them that then. They are your birds, so you should get to choose."_

_"Are you sure, TK?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Really?"_

_"Ask me again and they will be Strike and Blitz."_

_"TK!" _Kari's voice sent shivers down his spine. He was in love with the princess.

_"Just Kidding!" The Princess and Prince laughed._

He angrily splashed the water which distorted the fountain, making the image fade away. He was also jealous of the Prince. He walked briskly away into the darkness.

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Kari walked back to her home, flushed. Her heart was beating fast, as if she was running. She stood still and placed her hand on her chest. 

"My heart is beating so fast," she whispered to no one in particular. "He is just a prince. Prince Takeru. A friend." Kari kept on walking towards the cottage, and heard voices coming from within.

"No, Miyako. It _must_ be pink!" Mimi, Kari's eldest guardian was shouting.

"Please, Mimi, can we have it purple?" Miyako asked too forcefully, Kari suspected, since Miyako flew out of the door, crashing into Kari. Before Kari was knocked down, she saw a pink light that was surrounding Miyako, like an aura.

"OHMYGOSH!" Miyako exclaimed as she landed on Kari with a thud. "Hikari!" She got up off of Kari and helped the dazed Kari stand back up.

"I'm so SORRY!" She continued. "Mimi and I were having an argument about what color your– oh.. nevermind. Come inside now." She led Kari into their home. In the middle of the kitchen, where the dining table should have been, was a beautiful pink gown.

"Oh my," Kari whispered, breath taken.

"Happy Birthday, Hikari!" All the guardians exclaimed at the same time.

"The gown is for you!" Miyako added. "We made it, but we're not sure which color you would want. Pink or purple?"

"Um, Miyako, you've already used pink cloth. If I said purple, you would have to start again from the beginning." Kari laughed. Miyako blushed as Mimi and Sora looked at her angrily. She almost gave away their secret.

"Try it on, Hikari." Sora said, trying to cover up.

"I can't believe you've done all this work for me." Kari whispered, walking twoards Sora, who was holding out the dress for her to try on.

"Trust me, it wasn't much work at all." Mimi waved her hand, dismissing Kari's comment.

Sora helped Kari remove her outside garments and slipped the gown over her undergarments. It was made exactly for her size. The gown was slightly off-the-shoulder, a dark pink layer of cloth fit over her chest like a large collar. A yellow ribbon decorated the corner where the dark pink collars met on her chest. Light pink cloth wrapped underneath the collars on her upper body and around her arms, widening as it hit her waist, until it reached the ground. Ribbons held up parts of the hem of the gown which revealed a darker pink petticoat underneath.

"It fits wonderfully!" Mimi exclaimed. She wrapped thin, pink ribbons around the front sections of her long, brown hair, untying her ponytail and letting the rest of her hair be worn down.

"You look beautiful, Kari." Miyako added.

"I feel so over-dressed." Kari said, blushing. "It's beautiful, though. I feel like a princess. Thank you."

None of them replied, then Kari looked at them, wondering about the odd silence.

"Kari, we need to tell you something." Sora finally said quietly.

"You _are_ a princess." Mimi continued. "You are Princess Hikari of the Celestial Kingdom. That's one of the reasons we made this dress. It is your sixteenth birthday, and it is also the day you will join your parents in the Celestial Kingdom."

"My parents?" Kari asked. "I thought you told me they passed away." Mimi shook her head.

"No, we had to tell you that to protect you." Mimi spoke quickly, and seeing Kari was about to interrupt, continued. "When you were born, an evil fairy cast a spell on you that on your sixteenth birthday, you would die. Your father and mother were not happy with it, but this was the best way to keep you away from getting hurt." Kari sat on a dining chair behind her and just stared blankly at her three guardians.

"And Princess Hikari, we have something else to tell you," Miyako walked towards Kari. With her index finger and thumb touching, she held it up for Kari to see clearly. She pulled downwards and a blue-purple wand appeared from where she drew an invisible line. Kari's eyes widened. "We are fairies, sent by your parents to guard you."

Mimi and Sora pulled out their magic wands in the same way that Miyako did, and transformed into their fairy forms, with their iridescent gowns and wings that matched thier wands.

"We must go now, Princess Hikari." Mimi said, holding out her hand for Kari to take. Kari stared at it, but did not take it.

_What about TK?_ She thought. _He won't ever find me again._

"Are you sure I really am a princess?" She mumbled. She was in shock.

Sora laughed. "Of course you are. Now let's go." Sora took Kari's hand which lay on her lap, helping her stand.

"I can't be.." Kari continued, her eyes distant. _He will never find me._

The fairies ignored her comment and placed cloaks on themselves and the princess, leaving their home which they have lived in for sixteen years.

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"JUN!" The man threw down his hood angrily as he entered his sister's castle. It revealed his brown, messy hair and the anger in his eyes. 

"What is it, Daisuke?" A woman sat in a throne in the centre, stroking the skull of her magic wand. Her hair was the same color as Daisuke's, but it oddly stood on end. "Does this have something to do with a young princess named Hikari?"

"Yes." He stepped up towards Jun and knelt on the ground.

"And may I guess, that you have fallen in love with her."

"Please, Jun, I _am_ in love with her, but she has fallen for a Prince Takeru, and I fear she wouldn't even look at me twice." Daisuke bowed. "Please, help me."

"Prince Takeru of the Kingdom of Dreams." She stroked her chin with long, spidery fingers. "I know of this Prince. Hm. I tell you what Daisuke - You are my beloved little brother. I am willing to strike a bargain with you. Are you willing to do anything to have your princess?"

"Anything for her, sister," Daisuke was nearly pleading.

"Even to kill?" Jun said, narrowing her brown eyes, watching her brother intently.

"_Anything_."

Jun then took her skull wand, pointing it at Daisuke. He saw her and bowed accepting whatever she would do to him. The skull's eyes glowed green, and green smoke started weaving out of the eye sockets, and wrapped around Daisuke. Jun mumbled incoherent words, and lightning struck from the window of the tallest tower in their castle, which struck Daisuke. He yelled as he grew, taking the form of a red eyed, black dragon. He roared, and red flames exploded from his strong mouth.

"Go, my brother, and kill Prince Takeru."

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Yay! This fic is almost done! (Claps hands) How sad. I'm applauding myself lol. Please review! 

xoxo Koumiko


	4. Happily Ever After

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. Seriously, if I did, I wouldn't be writing about what could have happened in season 3 and 4 and 5 and whatever else there is. I would be in the studios planning more Takari and AngeAnge! Happy Reading!

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**Sleeping Kari**

**Chapter 4: Happily Ever After**

**By: Koumiko**

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"Princess Hikari Yagami," the courtiers bowed down to Hikari who entered the palace, escorted by the three fairies.

"The King and Queen have not arrived yet, Princess," Mimi said. "We must leave you in your room until you debut as a Princess in the party downstairs." Hikari was left in a strange room, with a pink bed with a yellow canopy hanging over it.

"Will you be alright by yourself, Hikari?" Miyako asked, as they were about to leave. Kari nodded.

"Yes, I still need to get familiar with my home." She forced a smile which the fairies believed was genuine.

"Okay, but make sure you don't talk to any strangers." Sora added, before she shut the door after her.

"Of course," Kari reassured.

_I wonder where Takeru is. I hope he hasn't come back to our cottage. No one would be there to see him._ She thought. _I wish he knew I was a princess. He'd be able to find me._

A knock came at the door the fairies had just exited from.

"Who is it?" Kari asked, then walked to open the door. It revealed an old woman, wearing a cloak over her clearly hunched back.

"You must be the Princess Hikari." She said in a raspy voice. "I am Juniper, one of the palace's oldest servants. You are more beautiful than what I heard."

"Why, thank you," Kari said, unsure if she should trust the woman. The fairies did tell her not to talk to strangers.

"And it is your birthday, is it not?" Juniper continued. She reached into her cloak and pulled out a fully bloomed blood-red rose. "It is an exotic flower never seen in this kingdom. It is called a _rose._ Please accept my humble gift to you." Juniper said, holding out the thorny stem of the rose. Kari looked at her. _Well, I have to be polite. She is a kind, old woman._

"Thank you, Juniper. You are very kind." Kari reached out to the rose. Before she was even able to touch the stem, a thorn scratched her fragile hands. A drop of blood fell from it, and before it even hit the ground, Kari had already collapsed, in a deep sleep.

Juniper cackled, then transformed into the more youthful Jun, the evil witch. Then in a cloud of smoke, she disappeared, leaving Hikari on the ground, a blood-red rose in her hand.

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"Princess Kari?" Takeru was riding his horse towards the cottage he thought housed Kari. He pushed open the front door and found the house empty. He walked back out, and was attacked by Kari's two birds. They were swooping in circles around him.

"Strike! Blitz!" He shouted, happily. "I mean - er, Melody and Aria! Where's Princess Kari?" The birds circled him once more then started flying into the forest. He quickly mounted his horse and followed them.

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"Princess Hikari!" Miyako found Hikari on the ground holding a red rose. "No! Jun was here! Mimi! Sora!" Mimi and Sora flew in immediately, and found Kari in her cursed sleep.

"We have to put everyone to sleep, until it's time for her to wake. Let's go, ladies," Sora said. They flew around the castle, putting everyone into a mystical slumber.

They carried the body of Princess Hikari and laid her on her bed, trying to make her as comfortable as possible. They placed the red rose in her hands, which they folded over her chest.

"Might as well keep her comfortable. The prince might take a hundred years." Mimi said.

"We must find the Prince." Sora replied.

"Yeah, but who is it? It has to be a Prince that she loves. We can't just put a random prince in here!" Mimi said, her voice rising in anger.

"We'll just have to hope that she has met the Prince. Her destiny is bound to my spell, and I know for sure she has met someone before falling into this slumber." Miyako said calmly, trying to pacifiy the two fairies.

"We'll just have to wait, I guess," Sora sighed. During their whole arguement, they failed to notice a black dragon flying around the castle.

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Daisuke, the black dragon, flew quietly over the castle, and spotted in one of the towers his beloved Princess Hikari. He saw the fairies over her still body, and thought them to be mourning her death.

_How dare she! _He thought, thinking that Jun had caused Hikari's death. He knew of a spell that Jun had placed on her when she was a baby. He roared angrily, then flew back to his sister's abandoned castle.

He flew threw the doors and broke them, roaring angrily at his sister, who was still sitting on her throne.

"What's the matter with you?" She demanded. "You better fix that door later!" Daisuke just roared at her. He reared his head back, ready to breathe flames on her. She saw it coming and held up her wand, creating a shield that deflected his flames.

"You... killed... Hikari." Daisuke couldn't talk, so he spoke to her with low, rumbles in his throat.

"I did not kill her. I simply--" Jun wasn't able to finish her sentence. Daisuke used his strong mouth and crushed her. He spat her mangled body back out, then spat out balls of fire at it, until all was left as ashes. Once again, he roared in anger, then broke out of the roof of the castle.

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"Oh you've got to be joking!" Takeru said to Melody and Aria, who led him to a castle. Unfortunately, thick vines served as it's gate, thanks to the fairies. He dismounted his horse, then attempted to pull at the trunk of one vine. It didn't budge.

"Are you sure she's here?" He asked the birds. They chirped madly.

"PRINCESS HIKARI!!!" He shouted to the castle. He hoped she would hear him. In one of the castle's towers, a bright light illuminated the window, then it got larger and closer to him, revealing the three fairies.

"Ah, Prince Takeru, you've grown into a fine young man," Sora greeted. The fairies nodded. They've attended Takeru's Christening a few months before Hikari's.

"Please, tell me where the Princess is."

The fairies did not reply.

"Do you have a sword?" Miyako asked. Takeru felt for his sheath at his hips, but found them missing.

"I guess I left it in my room," he said, awkwardly.

"Now how can a Prince be a hero without a sword?" Miyako said, annoyed. She sighed, and Takeru bowed his head in shame.

"Sorry," he tried redeeming himself.

"Well, it doesn't matter. We will give you a new one, as a gift," Sora said. The three fairies pointed their wands at Takeru's opened palms. Each color of their wand combined into a bright, white light. After the light dimmed, a sheathed sword appeared in Takeru's hands. He pulled out the sword which had a crescent moon with a crystal sitting in the middle for it's hilt. (A/N: Imagine Sailor Moon's moon wand thing.) The straight blade slid out with a slicing sound. It had a gold hue to it, a flame engraved on the base of the sword.

"That is the sword of hope," Mimi explained. "Wield it well, for you are the Prince of Hope. We we're going to give this to you on your coronation, but this is a useful time for it." The three fairies bowed to the prince, then disappeared.

Takeru gripped the sword with both hands and forced it onto the vines. They were cut cleanly and smoothly.

"Wow," Takeru commented. "Thanks."

Within a few minutes, Takeru was able to slice through the forest of vines. Once he got through to the other side, the vines suddenly grew thin and wilted.

"Why couldn't you have done that earlier?" He thought to himself. He looked to the castle and found it dark and quiet. He saw the guards at the front door, and they were asleep under their shields. Suddenly, he heard a roar from behind, and turned around quickly to come face to face with a red eyed, black dragon. Daisuke.

_Prince Takeru._ Daisuke thought. _You are not going to take her away from me again!_ He breathed fire on the small Prince.

Luckily, Takeru was able to dodge it in time. Daisuke snapped at him several times, but missed.

Using the hilt of his sword, he hit the nose of Daisuke while he was snapping. Daisuke roared in pain.

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"What was that?" Miyako asked, hearing Daisuke's roar. They were back in Hikari's room, watching over her sleep. Miyako ran over to the window and found a black dragon snapping at Prince Takeru.

"Hey! That wasn't part of the spell!" She yelled, then jumped out the window. Mimi and Sora saw her fly away, and followed her.

Flames surrounded Takeru, thanks to the wilted vines, and he could not escape. Takeru took his sword and threw it hard at Daisuke's chest, but Daisuke was quick enough to catch it with his claws. He threw it aside, and the blade landed in the flaming vines. Daisuke bore his fangs at Takeru, who stood defenseless. He inhaled.

"Prince Takeru!!!" Miyako screeched, racing towards him, followed by the other two fairies, their wands pointing at him.

Daisuke's mouth exploded with powerful flames, with every intent to kill Takeru. A white light formed in front of Takeru and a shield appeared, a symbol of Hope etched in gold in front, just in time to stop the flames from burning him.

Daisuke, sure that it was the killing strike, was stunned to find him still alive. Takeru used this distraction to roll around past Daisuke and grab his sword, the blade heated because of the flames. He threw it again, but this time, Daisuke did not react. It plowed into his chest, burning him inside. His scales may have withstood the heat, but his heart could not. Daisuke froze, then collapsed over the flames, putting them out. Takeru immediately ran into the castle, while the fairies were dumbfounded, looking at the dragon's body.

"This is not a dragon." Sora said slowly.

* * *

Takeru raced up the stairs and into the tower where Hikari lay. He dropped his sword and shield then walked towards her quietly.

"Princess Kari?" He spoke, touching her arm gently. She didn't wake up. He touched her forehead, it was cold.

"Are you asleep?" He asked. His voice cracked with worry. He gently shook her enough to wake her. She still didn't wake up.

"Come on, you've got to wake up! I have a great story to tell you!" He said, shaking her again. The fairies finally caught up with the Prince, and they saw him shaking Kari violently.

"Hey! That's not how you wake up a Princess!" Miyako yelled. Takeru stopped.

"Huh?" He asked.

"You're supposed to kiss her." Mimi added. Takeru turned back to face the sleeping Kari. He quickly kissed her on the cheek.

"No, on the lips, Prince Takeru. Do you want us to turn around?" Sora asked, then turned her back. She directed the other two fairies to do the same.

"Okay, Princess Kari, I guess I'm going to kiss you now..." Takeru said politely. He felt weird about kissing without the other person knowing about it. He leaned over her, then closed his eyes, planting a gentle kiss on her rosy lips. He felt her lips move and he immediately sat up.

"TK?" Kari spoke, opening her brown eyes. The fairies gasped with excitement, but still didn't turn around. They were all smiling.

"Princess Kari," he replied.

"Did you just kiss me?" Kari asked. Takeru was embarassed.

"Well, uh, yeah, the fairies told me to." He explained, but before he could finish, Kari threw her arms around him in an embrace.

"Thank you, TK." She said. He hugged her back, patting her back. He felt awkward.

"Sure, Kari, anything for you."

"All right! Let's get this party going! The whole palace is waking up!" Mimi exclaimed. The fairies were all grinning widely at the Prince and Princess. Then they ran downstairs to prepare for Hikari's debut into the kingdom.

Takeru was holding Kari's hand.

"I thought you would never wake up," Takeru said honestly.

"Well, I'm awake now, right? That's all that matters." Kari replied. "How did you find me?"

"Well, it's a long story," Takeru started. "It started when I went to your cottage, and found Strike and Blitz-" He stopped, and saw Kari's glare. "I-I mean Melody and Aria.." Kari laughed.

* * *

"Please welcome, Princess Hikari Yagami on her sixteenth birthday, escorted by Prince Takeru!" The announcer yelled. Hikari's parents, the King and Queen were sitting anxiously, waiting for their daughter's entrance at the top of the staircase. The trumpets blasted and the drums rolled, but Hikari didn't appear. The court members started whispering.

"Ahem," the announcer interrupted the people's mumbling. "Introducing Princess Hikari and Prince Takeru!" He shouted louder this time.

Hikari appeared from the right while Takeru from the left. She was wearing the gown the fairies made, while Takeru was wearing a clean set of clothes. When they met, they shared another kiss, while the people applauded. Takeru held out his arm, which Kari took graciously, and they walked down the stairs.

"Will you please give us the honor of leading the first dance?" The announcer asked. Music began to play from the orchestra pit, and the couple began to dance.

"Princess Kari," Takeru whispered in Kari's ear. "I love you." Hikari smiled. She leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear.

"I love you too, TK."

The rest of the Kingdom joined in celebration of Kari's birthday, and the Prince and Princess lived happily ever after. Even Daisuke, who, because of the kind fairies, was turned back into his human form, and was healed. He now spends his days cleaning out Prince Takeru's and Princess Hikari's horse stables. But other than that, they all did live happily ever after.

* * *

Yay! This ficcie is done! I hope you all enjoyed it! Yess I only have one more fic to worry about before spring break ends! Cya guys in the next update, and please review!!

xoxo Koumiko


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